The Selection: Family Ties
by bestclarinetist123
Summary: Catherine never thought she would make it into the Selection. She doesn't even want to compete. However, her sister also is in the Selection. What can she do to attract the attention of the Prince and prove she is better than her sister? Make sure to let me know if you guys have any good ideas for the plot! Really busy w/ school, so currently inactive. Thanks for your patience!
1. Chapter 1

"Hurry up! They're going to start drawing for the Selection any time soon!" Mother cried, and my sister Veronica scrambled onto the couch.

Leave it to Mother to be excited about the Selection. Of course, I didn't care a single bit. I knew that there would be no chance for me, even if I actually did make it into the Selection. Skinny, black haired me. However, Mother insisted on entering me in the Selection.

On the TV, Gavril came out onto the stage. "Hello there, Illea! Tonight we are here for an exciting event. Our next Selection is starting now." He waved a hand towards a screen, and the picture of the girls flashed along with their name and caste.

_Why show the caste when Queen America and King Maxon are going to dissolve them soon? _I thought. However, it would be a while before we, the Twos, would actually be affected.

Suddenly, Mother gasped. She flailed her arms at the screen, directing my attention back to the TV. I only had a moment to see the girl's picture before it was replaced, but it was enough for my photographic memory to store it.

My thoughts raced through my mind. I remembered the same nervousness in the picture that I had had when it had been taken, and that exact yellow gown Mother had forced me into for the picture. It couldn't be me though; the chances that I would be selected were too slim. This must have been how the other girls had felt when they realized that they were also in the Selection.

Mother was spazzing out again, and once again, I saw the picture for only a split second. This time, I was really creeped out. I knew that girl on the screen. It was Veronica.

I thought that there was some mistake at first. However, this was Illea, not some undeveloped country. The odds were crazy if both my sister and I were in the Selection, but there was no mistake here.

I was in the Selection, and so was Veronica, who had had a crush on Prince Carter since she was a little toddler. She would be my fiercest competition, I was sure, but I also knew that I didn't even want to be in the contest. I would just drop out the first chance I had, but that would disappoint Mother. Sadly, I was stuck in the Selection with my little sister.


	2. Chapter 2

The next day, guards came to our house to escort us to the palace. They took us onto a plane, and informed us we were going to fly to the palace. However, we would first pick up a few other girls.

At our first stop, a girl with blond hair and a dazzling gown. _She must be a Two_, I thought, then regretted it. If King Maxon was going to dissolve the castes, then I shouldn't be viewing my fellow competitors as numbers. It was time to learn their names.

I stepped up to her and introduced myself. "Hi, I'm Catherine Harlow. I'm a jeweler in Waverly."

She sniffed at me. "If you're a jeweler, then you must be a Four. Well I'm Sandra Jarrett, Two."

Slightly put off at her tone, I quickly left and headed back towards my seat. As I went, I heard a few of the guards whispering about me and Veronica. I heard a few snippets of their conversation, but it was enough to tell what they were talking about.

"Never before... very rare... sisters,"

"Unfair for the other girls... Fours..."

At the mention of our caste, I got slightly angrier. Was I the only one who was willing to stop paying attention to peoples' castes? It wasn't like I was sensitive about my caste or anything, I just didn't like other people putting my caste on me like a label. I sighed, and sat back for the long ride. At this point, I didn't care about the other girls and their names. However, it probably would help me to know them. I asked the guards for a deck of cards with the other girls on them like Queen America had once done.

I settled down trying to memorize the other girls' names. Soon, I fell asleep and I was awoken by Veronica shaking my shoulder.

"We're at the palace," she said. I looked out the window and gasped. It was so beautiful.


	3. Chapter 3

In front of the palace stood Queen America. Her red hair was being blown about by the wind, but it didn't seem to bother her. As four other girls stepped off the plane in front of us, Queen America went to speak with each one of them, and maids were assigned to each girl. Soon, it was our turn to exit the plane. I stepped off, nervous, waiting to receive my maids and talk with the Queen.

As she reached me, Queen America broke out into a smile. "Here's our final girl," she said. "You won't see Prince Carter today, but all of you will have your turn to talk with him tomorrow. That way, everyone will be fair game. Josephine, Hannah, and Selena will be your maids."

The last few maids standing off to the side bobbed into a curtsy as each one of them were introduced. "Miss Caroline, follow us to your room," Josephine said, a bit bossily. I assumed she would be my head maid because of her tone.

"Yes, ma'am," I joked, and received a laugh from Queen America and a few blank stares from the people around us. Inwardly, I groaned. That probably wasn't the best thing to do. It seemed as if these people took their positions very seriously.

Soon, I reached my room and settled down in it. I took out the Sapphire Fountain that I had carved out of a sapphire and set it on my dresser. It was the only thing that Dad had ever let me make by myself. Really, it was my only thing that I had to even be close to a treasure from home. It was the only thing that I had brought from home, besides some other necessities that they would probably provide anyways.

Sitting back on my bed to admire the Fountain, I realized that it was almost dinner time. I decided to head down after choosing a dress that I had brought, because I hadn't received any gowns from my maids yet. As I stepped out of my room, I met some of the other girls and we headed downstairs together, with me just staying quiet at the back.


End file.
